Senior Bid Writer in Ipswich, Suffolk

We are looking for an experienced, confident Senior Bid Writer to strengthen our Pre-contracts Proposals Team and lead the production of high-quality pre-qualification and tender submissions within our expanding civil engineering business. You will join a dynamic and engaged team managing an increasing tender pipeline from key clients, including the Environment Agency, National Highways, local authorities and private sector organisations. This role will suit a self-starter confident in leading tender quality submissions, asking the right questions of our in-house specialists, and drawing out the clear, compelling information required by our clients. You will work closely with head office, regional and site teams to uncover the ‘why, how, who and when’ behind our projects, developing strong evidence to reflect our core values. The role is based at our Head Office in Ipswich, with flexible home working to support a healthy work-life balance. Occasional travel to regional teams and project sites will be required.

Skills required:

• Effective teamwork - collaboration with head office planners, estimators, buyers and regional contacts is essential. You will need to understand how other departments work and learn how to get the best out of them during each tender.
• Exceptional writing skills - ideally in construction or a related industry. This is key to the role. Candidates invited for interview will be asked for examples of previous work, and to participate in a written exercise to demonstrate the skills they bring.
• Ability to communicate complex operations clearly and simply to technical and non-technical clients using a combination of writing and illustration.
• Time management efficiency to meet strict deadlines associated with tender submissions.
• Developing creative ideas and making the best use of evidence to showcase Jackson's competencies and experience to our clients, then bringing these approaches back to the team.
• Awareness and understanding of the wider aspects of construction, such as social value, stakeholder management and environmental mitigation would be an advantage.

Main responsibilities and duties:

• Working with each team across the precontracts department and region to gather, collate and coordinate technical information for prequalification, tender returns and case studies.
• Using site and/or industry experience to work closely with our planning department and other members of the Proposals team to successfully answer questions and help win tenders.
• Reading tender documents to reach a thorough understanding of each scheme, sufficient to provide challenge to planners and estimators and drive the best possible approach at tender.
• Identifying and exploring Value Engineering options to elevate our submission over rivals.
• Developing answer plans based on specific client requirements in tender documents and the detailed evaluation/scoring criteria provided.
• Drafting, reviewing and reworking answers in collaboration with fellow writers to achieve best results that will secure future work for Jackson.
• Producing sketches to show phasing and/or technical details clearly and concisely.
• Working with our Communications Officer to create case studies and project datasheets.

Skills & Experience Needed:

• Proven experience in a similar senior bid writing role.
• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Strong organisational skills and a proactive, collaborative approach.
• Experience managing pre-qualifications and tender submissions.
• Competent in MS Office, SharePoint and remote working tools.
• Additional IT skills are advantageous (e.g. Photoshop, SketchUp, MS Project, P6).

Personal Attributes:

• Pride in your own writing skills and the drive to turn high-quality bids into awarded contracts.
• Team-focused, professional and able to work under pressure when necessary.
• Committed to a long-term role within the business.

We don’t just offer a great place to work with a supportive, family atmosphere. We also offer:

• Life assurance cover (4x annual salary).
• Company pension scheme (we match up to 8%).
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with an option of buying more holiday).
• Extra holiday for long service.
• Extensive training programmes.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Employee benefits platform.
• Free on-site parking.
• A bright, modern, open plan office.
• Company social calendar.
• Regular fun days hosted in the office, and a broad range of charity events.
• A supportive business that genuinely wants to help you progress in your career.
• ‘The Great Escape’ - leaving work early every Friday!

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships. We also place high importance on our inclusive recruitment policy and will do our very best to support those applicants who may need adjustments to take part in the recruitment process. Please do let us know if you require any additional assistance or adjustments. Due to the high volume of applications, we receive it is not always possible to respond to unsuccessful applicants. Therefore, if we have not responded to your application within two weeks, please note that on this occasion your application has not been successful.